3 Recipes for Nutty, On-The-Run Snacks

Go nuts for these tasty, nutritionally packed treats

When runner Danielle Dietz-LiVolsi adopted two oprhan boys from the Ukraine, who were both vitamin deficient and exceptionally picky eaters, she became passionate about preparing creative, flavorful and super-nutritious foods. She wanted to feed her boys something that offered more protein and nutrients than run-of-the-mill peanut butter—and so NuttZo was born.

An Omega-3 powerhouse with seven varieties of organic nuts, legumes and seeds blended into one tasty butter, NuttZo has rapidly become a favorite of athletes.

NuttZo generously offered to share several of its on-the-go recipes with Trail Runner readers. These portable snacks are perfect for tucking in your race pack, supplying an aid station with or refueling after a long run.

Mix light-butter spread, NuttZo, sugars and vanilla until smooth. Combine the next five ingredients (all the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips and pretzels) in a separate, medium-size bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture gradually. Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk to moisten the dough. Stir in the chocolate chips and crushed pretzels. Cover and chill dough for at least 30 minutes.

Use cookie scoop (or hands) to form balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Let balls sit on the cookie sheet for a couple minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

In a food processor, grind oats to a fine powder. Add everything else. Turn food processor on high for about two minutes until it forms into a soft cookie dough. It will still look slightly crumbly but when you push it together between your fingers, it will hold nicely. Shape into cookies. Put into a container and refrigerate, if you don’t eat them all first!

Spray a small cookie sheet (with sides) with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine first six ingredients. Stir and cook until mixture almost bubbles, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

In a large bowl, combine last eight ingredients.

Pour NuttZo mixture over oatmeal mixture and stir gently with a spatula until well combined. Transfer to cookie sheet, cover with parchment paper and press firmly into cookie sheet. Allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in air-tight container in the refrigerator.